Refrigerating and ice-making apparatus



July l, 1930 R. w. DAVENPORT 1,769,117

REFRIGERATING AND ICE MAKING APPARATUS Filed April 15, 1927 7 F'lql Fig. E

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A TTORNE Y.

Patented July l, 1930 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RANBOH W. DAVENPORT, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ABSIGNOR T0 CHICAGO PNEUIATIC TOOL CCIP-ANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0l' NEW JERSEY BUBIGEEATING AND ICE-KAKING APPARATUS l Appliltlon lell April 15, 1927. Serial No. 183,977.

ticularly the invention relates to closed cycle systems operatin on the vapor-gas princlple disclosed in my atent No. 1,619,196 issued March 1, 1927-, although by no means confined or restricted thereto in all of its aspects.

In man of my previous disclosuresmchl rial as that o m coending applicatmn,

No. 105,372 ed pril 29th, 1926, it has been shown that distinct cooling andice making elements are desirable in systems of the vapor-gas type and constructions have been dis'- closed in which the cooling element has large vexposed area and the freezing element small area, which elements -have een independently placed in separate chambers and exposed only1 tothe contents of such chambers.

One obJect of thev present invention is to improve uponv previous constructions and principles. Another object is to simplify the construction and effect economies in manufacture. Still another vobject is to make refrigeratin outfits of the described type more sanitary. Other objects will l be apparent etailed description which follows The in ntion consists in providing asin gle refrige ating chamber in which the freezing and refr' erating elements or evaporators aremounted these elements being preferably of the thin fiat type such as disclosed in my aforesaid copending application, Serial No.

105,372, and in m copending application Serial No. 180,399 evaporator or freeze zontally either at the pril 2, 1927. The freezing ottom or at the top of v the chamber, and containers' for liquid to be lfrozen are arranged to g be supported o 1n .thermal intimacy with the same. The coolmg evaporator is dlsposed vertically within the chamber either as a separate Vartition or flat a ainst the wall of the cham er. A remova le drip plate is arranged to isolate a portion ofthe chamber adjacent the freeze plate from the rest of the chamber and collect the moisture which may dri uponI or from the freeze plate and the liquld containers, de endlng 'upon the position of the same w1 n the Elate is disposed hori-l chamber. The vertically disposed cooling evaorator may be of the concentrating type mti e event that a lubricating refrigerant is use In order to illustrate the invention concrete embodiments thereof are shown in the accompanying drawmgs in which;

F1 1 is a vertical sectional view throu h a se f-contained refrigerating outt or household use and illustrating one arrangemen Fig. 2 is a sectional viewsimilar to Fig. 1 showmg a second arrangement; Fig. 3 1s a dia rammatic illustration of the c osed cycle re rigerati-ng apparatus used in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of the container supporting arrangement of Flg. 2."

he .embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1 comprises a refrigerator cabinet A having a chamber B formed with walls of heat insulating material and a machine compartment G beneath chamber B. Heat is extracted from chamber B by the vaporization of a volatile liquid within two evaporators 4 and 5 connected in series and operating at the same total pressure. Bypreference the apparatus operates on the vaporas principle disclosed in my aforesaid atent No. 1,619,196 and may comprise a pum or com'- pressor 6 of any suitable or deslred type driven by a prime mover, such as electric motor 7, and arranged to vwithdraw vaporized refrigerant from the top of evaporator 5 through a pipe 8 and discharge the same at higher temperature and pressure into a condenser 9 whence the working substance is fed back through a suitable feeding device or expansion valve 10 into evaporator 4 at' a point remote from the connection 11 between 4the two evaporators. The evaporators may is disposed vertically against a wall of chainbers B as shown. Since evaporator 4 receives the initial discharge of the products of compressor 9 it operates at a temperature below freezing and is accordingly designated as a freeze plate. Evaporator 5 is constructed so as to operate at progressively higher temperatures in accordance with the disclosure of my copending application Serial No. 77,156 filed December 22, 1925, and may be arranged to operate wholly or partly at temperatures above freezing. Containers 12 for liquid to be frozen are arranged in thermal intimacy with freeze plate 4 and may rest directly upon it as shown. A removable drip plate 13 isolates the portion of chamber B adjacent freeze plate 4 and which contains ice trays 12 from the remainder of the chamber and protects the same from drip.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 2 differs zo from that shown in Fig. 1 in that the freeze plate is placed at the top of the chamber and the refrigerant first expands into this freeze plate at the top of the circuit and Works downwardly through the cooling evaporator g5 to the pum In this figure the refrigerator cabinet A is similar in all respects to that shown in Fig. 1, being provided with a refrigerating chamber B and machine compartment C-, The machine elements in compartment C may conform to those shown in Fig. 1. The conduit from condenser 9 leads upwardly and discharges through feeding device into the horizontally disposed freeze plate 14 which is secured flat against the top of chamber B and is connected to the cooling evaporator 15 through a trap connection 1G. Evaporators 14 and 15 as shown are of the cast plate type disclosed and claimed in my aforesaid copending application, Serial No. 180,399. Cooling evaporator 15 is here shown secured flat against the back wall of chamber B and may be formed of a pipe in looped flat coils forming pockets to adapt the system for use with a lubricating refrigerant, the lubricant component of the same being concentrated as it is fed downwardly through evaporator 15 to the inlet connection to compressor 6. The lower face of the freeze plate 14 is provided with depending undercut projections 17 forming guides slidably to receive containers 18 for liquid to be frozen, these containers having extended side members cooperating with the slide Ways on projections 17. A drip plate 19 is disposed beneath the freeze plate 14 and containers 1S to prevent moisture dripping from the same from reaching the food chamber. This drip plate also serves to isolate a portion of chamber B in a manner similar to drip plate 14 of Fig. 1.

From the above it will be apparent that the present arrangement simplifies the structure of refrigerating outfits in that a single chamber formed with walls insolated against heat 65 is adapted both for freezing liquid and for the cooling of perishable articles with a minimum loss of space; that the evaporator elements utilized within the chamber are readily accessible and can easily be kept in a clean and sanitary condition; that the thin flat freeze plate with a drip pan placed beneath or above the same adapts either the upper or lower part of the chamber to be used for freezing liquids; that the placing of the liquid containers either directly upon or suspended directly from the freeze plate insures efl'ective absorption of heat both by radiation and convection; and that the invention is particularly adapted to systems operating on the vapor-gas principle due to the fact that in such systems heat is absorbed by the evapora tor elements at progressively higher temperatures thereby permitting a part of the evaporator means to be used for freezing and a part for cooling.

lVhile the invention has been herein disclosed in what is now considered to be preferred forms thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited tothe specific details thereof, but covers all changes, modifications and adaptations within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mechanically operated refrigerating outfit having a chamber from which heat is to be extracted. a thin flat horizontally disposed heat absorbing unit in said chamber, and a container for liquidin thermal proximity to said unit.

2. A mechanically operated refrigerating outfit having a chamber from which heat is to be extracted, a thin flat horizontally dis )osed heat absorbing unit at one extremity o said chamber, and a container for liquids in thermal proximity to said unit.

3. A mechanically operated refrigerator having a chamber with walls insulated against heat, a horizontally disposed freeze plate in said chamber adjacent one extremity thereof, and a removable partition isolating that portion of the chamber adjacent said plate from the remainder of the chamber.

4. A mechanicallyv operated refrigerator having a chamber with walls insulated against heat, a horizontally disposed freeze plate in said chamber adjacent one extremity thereof, and a container for liquid to be frozen in contact with said plate.

5. A mechanically operated refrigerator having a chamber with walls insulated against heat. a horizontally disposed freeze plate adjacent the top of said chamber, means for supporting a container for liquid beneath said plate and in thermal proximity thereto, and means isolating that portion of said chamber adjacent said plate and for catching moisture dripping from said plate and container.

A mechanically operated refrigerator having a chamber with walls insulated against heat, a horizontally disposed freeze mean? plate adjacent the top of said chamber, means for su portin a container for liquid beneath said p ate an in thermal proximity thereto, and a`dri plate disposed beneath said freeze plate an in spaced relation thereto.

7. A mechanically operated refrigerator l having a chamber with walls insulated sure, and means for supportin from said ch against heat, a lhorizontally di osed freeze plate adjacent .the top of said c amber, and guide means on the lower face of said plate" for supporting containers for liquid in close thermal intimacy with said plate.

8. A refri erator cabinetI having a cham# ber with wa s insulated against heat refrigerating ap aratus for extracting from said cham er including a thin flat evaporator element disposed horizontally in said chamber, and means on said evaporator for suspendin trays for liquid therebeneath.\`v

9. A re rigerator cabinet having achamber with walls insulated against heat refrigerating apparatus for extracting heat am er includin athin flateva orator element disposed h 'zontally at t e top of said chamber, means on said evaporator for suspending trays for liquid therebeneath, a drip plate removably supported beneath and in s aced 'relation toV said element, and an ad itional eva orator element in the main part of said c amber for-extracting heat therefrom.

10.l A refrigerator cabinet having a chamber with walls insulated against heat, refrigerating apparatus of the closed cycle type for extracting heat from said chamber comprising a horizontall disposed evfporator at one extremity o said chamber or taking in heat at a freezing temperature and a vertically disposed evaporator for tak-- ving in heat at a temperature above freezing,

means connecting said evaporators in serles and operating them at the same total prescontainers for liquid to be frozen rectly eneath and in thermal intimacy with said freezing evaporator.

l1. A refrigerator cabinet having a chamber with walls insulated against heat, refrigerating apparatus of the closed cycle type for extracting heat from said chamber comprising a horizontall disposed evaporator at the top of the c amber for taking in heat at a freezing temperature and a vertically disposed evaporator for taking in heat at a temperature above freezing, means connecting said evaporators in series and operating them at the same total pressure, and means for su portin containers for liquid to be frozen irectly eneath and in thermal intimacy with said freezing eva orator.

12. A refrigerator cabinet having a chamber with walls insulated against heat, refrigerating apparatus of the closed-cycle type 'for extracting heat from said chamber comprising two thin flat evaporators connected heat a jections on the lower face of said freeze in series and operating at the same total pressure, one of said evaporators forming a freeze operatingx on the vapor-gas princip e for ex` tracting eat from said chamber comprising two thin yflat evaporators connected in series andoperating at the same total pressure, one of said evaporators forming a freeze plate disposed flat against the top of said chamber and the other. evaporator being disposed ilat againsta vertical wall of said chamber, ro-

providing slides, and containers for h uid aving means cooperating with said slides thereby to support the same beneath and in thermal proximity to said freeze plate.

' 14. A refrigerator cabinet having a chamber with walls insulatedagainst heat. refrigerating apparatus of the closed c cle type operatingl on the vapor-gas princip e for extracting eat from said chamber comprising two thin iiat evaporators connected in series and operating at the same total pressure, one of said evaporators forming a freeze plate disposed flat' against the top of said chamber and the other evaporator being disposed fiat against a vertical wall of said chamber, proate jections forming slides depending from the lower face of said freeze plate, containers for liquid arranged to be removably supported bysaid slides in thermal proximit to said freeze plate, and a drip plate beneat said freeze late and said containers. l

15. A re rigerator cabinet having a chamber with the walls insulated against heat, refrigerating apparatus operating on the vapor-gas principle and utilizing a lubricating refrigerant for extracting heat from said los chamber including two thin iiat evaporators containing liquid refrigerant and connected in series,y one of said evaporators forming a freeze plate disposed horizontally at the.

top of said chamber, the other evaporator being of the concentrator type for the lubricant component of the refrigerant and disposed vertically in said chamber, means for supporting containers for liquid to be frozen directly beneath said freeze late, and means isolating the ortion of the c amber adjacent said freeze p ate from the remainder of saidl chamber.

Signed by me at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, this 8 day of April, 1927.

, RANSOM W. DAVENPORT.

DISCLAIMER 1,769,117.-Ransom W. Davenport, Detroit, Mich. REFRIGEHATING AND ICE-MAKING APPARATUS. Patent dated July 1, 1930. Disclaimer filed October 1, 1932, by the assignee, Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, the patentee, said Davenport, assenting.

Hereby enters this disclaimer to that part of the claim in said specification which is in the following words, to wit:

1. A mechanically operated refrigerating outfit having a chamber from which heat is to be extracted, a thin i'lat horizontally disposed heat absorbing unit in said chamber, and a container for liquid in thermal proximity to said unit.

2. A mechanically operated refrigerating outfit having a chamber from which heat is to be extracted, a thin iiat horizontally disposedv heat absorbing unit at one extremity of said chamber, and a container for liquids in thermal proximity to said unit.

4. A mechanically operated refrigerator having a chamber with walls insulated against heat, a horizontally disposed freeze plate in said chamber adjacent one extremity thereof, and a container for liquid to be frozen in contact with said plate.

[Oficial Gazette October 25, 1.932.] 

